Richmond has returned to the top 10 of most affordable U.S. urban areas that participate in a quarterly survey, according to the third quarter Cost of Living Index.
Richmond finished ninth after previously ranking 13th in the quarterly Council for Community and Economic Research analysis. Richmond consistently ranks in the top 15 least expensive micropolitans.
Richmond’s average monthly apartment rental, $872, ranked fifth, just three dollars more than the fourth-ranked Hutchinson, Kansas. The average rent for top-ranked Manhattan, New York, is $5,922.
Economic Development Corp. of Wayne County staff submit prices for 60 different items, including housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods and services.
The communities with overall lower costs of living were Ponca City, Oklahoma; Harlingen, Texas; McAllen, Texas; Anniston-Calhoun County, Alabama; Salina, Kansas; Tupelo, Mississippi; Des Moines, Iowa; and Amarillo, Texas. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, rounded out the top 10.
C2ER says its index is the most trusted resource for historical and current cost of living data since 1968.
EDC’s local cost of living calculator at whywaynecounty.com/living-in-wayne-county/cost-of-living/ helps residents of various cities see how far their dollars would stretch here.
EDC President Valerie Shaffer said the current low ranking will be helpful to promote through EDC’s Home in Wayne recruiting website.
In addition to touting that Wayne County has a cost of living 20% cheaper than the national average on its whywaynecounty.com page, EDC officials aim to recruit employers by noting the availability of more than 600 acres of shovel-ready sites, more than 26,000 regional graduates and a labor pool of 88,685 within a 30-minute commute.
A version of this article appeared in the November 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
